Godolphin Strike Back at Tattersalls October Book 1 - 2.9million Dark Angel Filly

Media Release - Thursday October 10

The fireworks continued at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale on the second day with a full sister to CHARYN topping proceedings at 2,900,000 guineas, five million guineas lots and twenty six yearlings that realised 500,000 guineas or more.

Godolphin were the leading buyer on the second day securing four of the five seven figure lots whilst the average and median again showed significant double figure increases.    

Sheikh Mohammed purchased the top four lots of the session to put Godolphin on top of the buyers list - image Tattersalls

Sister to Charyn Sells For 2,900,000 Guineas to Godolphin  

The own-sister to this year’s dual Group 1 winner CHARYN was another yearling whose pedigree jumped out of the catalogue as one of the potential stars of the sale, and the daughter of DARK ANGEL did not disappoint when selling to Godolphin for 2,900,000 guineas. It was a dream sale for Grangemore Stud’s Guy O'Callaghan with the farm's previous best sale at Tattersalls the 850,000 guineas given by Sumbe for her year-older full-sister at Book 1 last year.  

CHARYN’s owner Sumbe were again involved, this time into seven figures, but Nurlan Bizakov's operation then dropped away and the bidding developed into a match between Anthony Stroud for Godolphin, standing outside with Sheikh Mohammed in attendance, and Amo Racing, with the team of Alex Elliott and Kia Joorabchian positioned in the same spot as yesterday in the bidders’ area by the window.    

After the 2,500,000 guineas mark Elliott and Joorabchian's bidding started to slow, and eventually the pair pulled stumps when asked to better 2,900,000 guineas.  

"It is the stuff of dreams, and as a breeder it is what you always hope could happen - two buyers such as Amo and Godolphin going head-to-head, then it can go anywhere," smiled O'Callaghan. "She has been flat out since she got here, but she has never turned a hair and showed exactly the same every time - it takes a very special horse to do that."  

Although very controlled when talking after the sale, he said: "Don't worry I am doing cartwheels inside! I was not at Royal Ascot when Charyn won as I could not get away from home, but it is so very difficult for a horse to win there, it takes a great performance and that was a special day - and days like this can't happen without that first."

O’Callaghan’s Grangemore Stud purchased the dam FUTOON at the 2017 Tattersalls December Mares Sale for 100,000 guineas, and sold CHARYN at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2021 for 250,000 guineas.    

O’Callaghan continued: "Futoon is an amazing mare, her yearling of last year was special and sold well, she has a Dark Angel colt at foot and is in foal to Blue Point. He had really impressed me last year with his first crop and I booked her to him after Charyn won the Group 2 in April." 

It has been announced that Charyn is to retire to Sumbe’s Haras de Montfort and Preaux at the end of this season, however his next stop will be the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on British Champions Day before possible travelling to either the Breeders' Cup meeting at Del Mar or to Japan.  

O'Callaghan continued: "Charyn looks as though he will be Champion miler this year and I will be definitely booking in some mares to him!" 

Lady Bowthorpe’s First Foal Sells for 2,000,000 Guineas to Godolphin  

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Godolphin also struck to secure the first foal out of the Group 1 Nassau Stakes winner LADY BOWTHORPE for 2,000,000 guineas. The DUBAWI colt was knocked down to Anthony Stroud for Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed's team outbidding the Amo huddle standing in the bidders. The colt was consigned by Luca and Sara Cumani’s Fittocks Stud on behalf of breeder Emma Banks, who was at Tattersalls to watch the first-born foal sell.  

"I love his mum and I love him, and I will follow him and I am very happy he has gone to a great owner and a great establishment," Banks said. "It was surreal to watch, I am just so happy he is going to a great place. He is a special horse. It seems to have been quick to get to this point, but also has taken forever, and today has been quick and also taken forever. There are so many things going on in the world, and I have just sold a horse for two million!    

"I am just so proud of Lady Bowthorpe and everyone who is involved with her - she was bred at Fittocks and has gone back there, and she is loving her life as a broodmare and the fact that she has had such a gorgeous, attractive and well put together horse makes me so proud. Martin and all the Fittocks staff have done such a beautiful job of looking after him. He has just been a superstar since the day he was born. I am very biased, you might not have noticed!"  

Of the mare's next offspring she said: "He has a lovely full-brother - I might be able to afford to keep him now, and she is in foal to Too Darn Hot. Lady Bowthorpe does not like to travel too much, she just nipped around the corner to visit him at Darley," added Banks, who also revealed: "I try to get to the stud as much as I can, without getting on everyone's nerves!"  

Of today's experience and in racing in general, she added: "I have had a lot of expectation managing people around me, pointing out that it could go horribly wrong. You have these dreams - every time you go racing, it does not matter if it is Goodwood or Wolverhampton, you go expecting to win, otherwise you would not do this. So you come here expecting to win, and I knew he was nice and people were telling me he is nice, but you need two people to want him to get a price like that." 

 

Croom House Stud’s Too Darn Hot Colt Realises 1,500,000 Guineas  

Godolphin also secured the third highest priced lot of the day when the TOO DARN HOT colt out of GALILEO mare KNOCKNAGREE was knocked down to Anthony Stroud for 1,500,000 guineas. The Croom House Stud consigned colt received a couple of timely catalogue updates when his three-parts sister IDEA GENERATION, who was purchased at this sale in 2021 for 340,000 guineas, won the Grade 2 Flower Bowl Stakes at Saratoga for Chad Brown and LAND LEGEND, who features under the second dam, won the Group 1 Metropolitan.  

"He is by a young stallion who has done very well in Australia and here and is on an upwards trend, and comes from Croom House Stud which is a great farm, and we liked him a lot," said Stroud. "We are very happy to have him."  

He added: "The market has been unbelievable! I am sure the clearance rate is very high and there are a lot of internationals here which makes such a difference. When the principals are here it is so important."    

KNOCKNAGREE is a half-sister to the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner ZOFFANY as well as the Group winning two-year-olds ROSTROPOVICH and WILSHIRE BOULEVARD.  

Croom House Stud’s manager Joe Hartigan said: "We are absolutely over the moon, it is a great price and we are delighted. He has always been a belter of a colt, and when John O'Kelly came to see him in the spring he held him in high regard, but you never know what is going to happen in the ring.  

"It is a family that keeps on giving - Idea Generation won the Grade 2 recently and there was also the Group 1 win for Land Legend in the Metropolitan who is under the second dam. We did not sell the mare Knocknagree, and she is coming up with the goods now." 

Baroda’s Dubawi Colt to Godolphin for 1,500,000 Guineas  

The fourth Godolphin million guineas purchase for the day was the DUBAWI colt out of the LOMITAS mare MOLLY MALONE who was knocked down to Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin for 1,500,000 guineas, after he saw off Blandford Bloodstock’s Richard Brown and an online bidder.  

"I am delighted - fair play to Tweenhills for using us to consign him, he is a lovely horse," said successful consignor David Cox of Baroda Stud. "Trade has been very strong, we've had two millionaires this week, we have homebreds off the farm selling very well for clients - everyone is very happy. I was not expecting trade to be as strong as this, it has been a bonanza really, hasn't it? All the things going on in the world - here we are and the only thing we are worried about is the rain!"  

MOLLY MALONE won the Group 1 Prix du Cadran and has produced the Group 2 Prix Corrida winner MORGAN LE FAYE and the Listed winner EMOTION.  

Yulong Secure Dubawi Colt for 1,100,000 Guineas  

The fifth horse to sell for a seven figure value on the second day of October Book 1 was the DUBAWI colt out of Group 1 Prix de Royallieu winner LOVING DREAM who was bought via an online bid by Yulong for 1,100,000 guineas. The colt was bred by Trevor and Libby Harris’ Lordship Stud, who purchased LOVING DREAM’s dam KISSABLE for 180,000 guineas at the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale with the help of long-time advisor Luke Lillingston.    

After the purchase Vin Cox, Yulong's recently appointed General Manager, said: "We were at our upper end of the bidding. We can make a plan now - 24 hours ago we did not own him! We will get him broken in and then decide what trainer to go to, but he will stay in Europe in the medium term. If he wins some nice races here that would be fantastic and, if he is good enough to race in Australia as well, that would be great."  

Of the two days so far for Yulong, he said: "We have been a vendor here too, and we sold a Frankel colt yesterday for seven figures, which was fantastic and we are delighted. The quality of yearlings here this week has been outstanding, beautiful horses everywhere you went. Competition has been justifiably strong on the quality that is here, all credit to Tatts for getting a wonderful bunch of horses here and a buying bench that is very competitive.    

"The figures and stats say that it is a magnificent sale and going back to my Magic Millions days I would have loved to have been on the end of a market that has jumped as much as it has."  

Of this individual, he added: "We think he is a lovely horse, he is by Dubawi who is one of the best stallions of all time. This colt is out of a Group 1 winner and is a good-looking horse and we are happy to have him. Let's hope he is as good as we hope!"  

Simon Marsh, General Manager of Watership Down Stud who consigned the colt on behalf of Lordship Stud, said: "He is a first foal and is a lovely, lovely horse, and I have known him all the way through since he was a foal. He was raised at Lordship Stud - they have done a fantastic job with him. We got him to prepare for the sale about three months ago, he has been a joy and has just thrived and done better and better. He has been very busy up here." 

Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale continues at 11am on Thursday, 10th October with the third and final session.  

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